Appearances Can Be Deceptive

When I tell you we are staying in this remote farm building well off the beaten track in the Lake District you might pity us and think that Marion's meticulous holiday research had, for once, gone awry. It doesn't look much does it? And with the rain hammering on the roof you might think we were better off at home in Southport.

But you would be well wide of the mark. Because, inside, the building (the Lazy Fish) opens, Tardis-like, to a magnificent airy room complete with wood burner, all the home entertainment facilities you could ask for and a hammock for whiling away those rainy afternoons in comfort. Last night Mark, one of the owners, cooked us a super and inexpensive three course dinner and tonight we are going to try some of the local bacon and Cumberland sausage. If you are looking for a luxurious retreat in one of the quieter parts of Lakeland, check it out by clicking here. But you will need to book early to avoid disappointment as Mark was telling us that they have had almost 100% occupancy since the property featured in a Guardian supplement shortly after it opened in 2007.

Looking at the weather yesterday, it's hard to believe that we are in the same season today but in all honesty we aren't bothered as it will be a bit of fun to try the hot tub in the garden later in the pouring rain. The owners have kindly let me use my metal detector in the fields and their kids have gone to school today with a couple of old halfpennies and a French 50 centime piece that turned up when I gave it a go. Sadly the soil is extremely acidic so the coins, which date from around 1790 to 1920 are in a pretty grotty state.


We've brought along box sets of Mad Men and Harry Potter to watch in the evening but we didn't need to bring them as there are scores of DVDs in the house as well as Scrabble and a few other games to keep us busy. We've got Mark cooking for us again on Thursday and Saturday when some friends are joining us so this is self catering without too much of the self catering.


And of course we've got Internet and WIFI so I can continue to bore my readers.


I'll finish today with a video for son Paul and his wife Josephine. They've just got a couple of cats and, from what I hear, they're a bit like this.